Tag: communications

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Press release: Environment Agency announces increases to charges for boaters

The Environment Agency will increase the cost of boat registrations on its waterways from 2019 to help ensure a sustainable service for thousands of boat users.

The new charges for 2019-21 will be invested in waterways enjoyed by around 29,000 boat users, helping to meet the shortfall between the cost of running the service and the income currently generated from annual boat registrations.

Across the EA’s waterways, the majority of boats (98%) are used for private pleasure. For these users, annual boat registrations will increase by between £6 and £100 over two years depending on the size and type of boat, although specific costs vary by location. See a full breakdown of the increases here.

The EA is the second largest navigation authority in the UK and is responsible for more than 1,000 km of navigable waterways, which include the non-tidal River Thames, River Great Ouse, River Nene and Upper Medway Navigation. It is estimated the charge increases will bring in an additional £930,000 by 2021.

Mark Ormrod, National Manager for Navigation at the Environment Agency, said:

Our navigation service plays an important role in protecting our waterways and supports both recreation and business for thousands of people. We realise an increase in charges is never welcome news but it is essential to keep the levels of service and maintenance which boaters tell us is needed.

In addition, we are exploring new income streams to make our service even better and to
spread the cost among everybody who benefits from our waterways.

The Environment Agency carried out a consultation on the new charges across July-August 2018. A summary of the consultation responses can be found here

Link: Press release: Environment Agency announces increases to charges for boaters
Source: Environment Agency

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Press release: Regulator launches short consultation on its Accounting Direction

Legislation permits the regulator to make directions to PRPs about the way providers prepare their accounts, and to profit-making PRPs in respect of social housing activities. The Accounting Direction ensures that PRPs report a common minimum set of disclosures within their accounts and that various aspects of compliance with the Regulatory Standards are disclosed and certified within the published accounts. It does not direct on the individual measures that providers choose to take.

The proposed changes aim to:

  • align the Direction with the requirements of the Value for Money Standard introduced in April 2018
  • to accommodate the legislative abolition of the Disposal Proceeds Fund
  • to reflect wider changes in legislation and changes in accounting standards and recommended practice

Any changes made to the Accounting Direction will come into force for accounting periods commencing 1 January 2019.

Alongside the publication of the consultation document the regulator will engage in discussions with stakeholders, including providers and sector advisors.

The consultation will remain open until 20 December 2018.

Further information

  1. The Regulatory standards can be found on the RSH website.
  2. The Regulator of Social Housing promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. It also sets consumer standards and may take action if these standards are breached and there is a significant risk of serious detriment to tenants or potential tenants. For more information visit the RSH website.
  3. See our Media enquiries page for press office contact details. For general queries, please email enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or call 0300 124 5225.

Link: Press release: Regulator launches short consultation on its Accounting Direction
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: £16 million Teesside flood scheme complete

  • New £16 million scheme better protects 350 homes and 32 businesses
  • Almost 50 hectares of new habitat created for local wildlife
  • Designed to last 50 years taking climate change into account

Costing almost £16million, the Port Clarence and Greatham South project has increased flood protection to Port Clarence residents from the River Tees and Greatham Creek while also creating new habitat the size of over 90 football pitches for local wildlife.

The Environment Agency joined forces with local industry to build the scheme with multinational company SABIC UK contributing some of the funding and INOVYN ChlorVinyls offering land to allow the creation of the new habitat.

Throughout the project the Environment Agency has worked closely with the RSPB and Natural England to create a scheme which maximises benefits for the internationally designated habitat which includes rare birds as well as seals. The new habitats also feature both a brand new bird hide and seal hide to give nature-lovers a close-up view of these stunning local species.

Combined with flood defences that were completed at Port Clarence in 2015, the project reduces the risk of flooding to 350 homes and 32 businesses in Port Clarence and the Seal Sands Industrial Complex.

Port Clarence and Greatham South Flood Alleviation Scheme

The project therefore helps keep the local community safe from events like the 2013 floods while also providing stability for jobs and industry and safeguarding the future of the natural habitat in the Tees Estuary.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

When I visited Teesside in 2017 I was able to speak with the local industry representatives, the Environment Agency and the RSPB about the plans for this new flood defence scheme.

I am delighted it is now open, better protecting hundreds of homes and businesses, helping the local economy and enhancing the natural environment by creating an important new habitat for wildlife and birds.

This £16 million scheme forms part of the government’s commitment to better protect 300,000 thousand homes from flooding. We are investing over £2.3 billion across the country – boosting our resilience as a nation, helping our communities to grow and prosper.

Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said:

Floods destroy lives and livelihoods. This project is a perfect example of how flood schemes can benefit everyone: communities, businesses and wildlife. We have worked closely with our partners to design a scheme which will provide better flood protection for years to come whilst also helping bird and seal populations to thrive.

This forms part of our commitment to invest over £75million on flood defences across the north-east of England between 2015 and 2021, better protecting thousands of homes and businesses.

The first phase of the project, which saw new flood defences built at Port Clarence to reduce flood risk from the River Tees, was finished in December 2015.

Phase two saw the Environment Agency raise existing flood embankments along Greatham Creek, to reduce the flood risk to Port Clarence and land which is south of the Creek.

They also built new flood defences to the north of RSPB Saltholme Nature Reserve, and breached the old flood defence to allow the new area to fill up with water, creating more than 36 hectares of new inter-tidal habitat. In addition, 12 hectares of freshwater habitat was also created as part of the project.

Chris Francis, Senior Site Manager at RSPB Saltholme, said:

Over the years much of the valuable natural habitat of Tees Estuary has been lost to industry and agriculture. The breaching of the old flood defence means that a large area will be reconnected to the estuary and will eventually return to its natural saltmarsh habitat, which will provide an important feeding ground for many wading birds and wildfowl, especially during the winter months.

Notes to editors

Contractors BMMJV (BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald Joint Venture) carried out the work on behalf of the Environment Agency.

Phase 1 of the scheme saw new flood defences built in Port Clarence, consisting of a mixture of earth embankments, flood walls, and a raised section of the road on the approach to the Transporter Bridge.

In addition, the Environment Agency worked together with local business Wilton Engineering to install removable steel flood defences along the River Tees to improve flood protection while still allowing Wilton to operate from the river.

Link: Press release: £16 million Teesside flood scheme complete
Source: Environment Agency

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Press release: UK aid to protect 7,000 Commonwealth veterans of the British Armed Forces from extreme poverty

Over 7,000 veterans of the Commonwealth who served the British Armed Forces will receive two meals a day through UK aid, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt confirmed today.

The programme will be delivered through the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, a charity which has been supporting those such veterans who served The British Crown for almost 100 years.

Joseph Hammond, 91, a Commonwealth veteran from Ghana who fought for Britain in Burma during WWII

The new Department for International Development (DFID) programme will provide regular cash transfers to Commonwealth veterans and their widows and widowers in more than 30 countries to prevent them from going hungry.

Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt said:

We owe a tremendous amount to these Commonwealth Veterans. The British public would be shocked to know that those who have served alongside our Armed Forces would be living in such poverty.

It is absolutely right to make this commitment. I think the British public would approve of us pledging this support because of the sacrifices the Commonwealth Veterans have made and because of the debt of gratitude we owe to them.

Today’s announcement follows a commitment in June by DFID to design a programme to support pre-independence war veterans.

RCEL Deputy Grand President and former Chief of Defence Staff, Lord Richards of Herstmonceux GCB CBE DSO, said:

We owe a great debt to the service men and women of the Commonwealth who served in the British Armed Forces in the Second World War and afterwards prior to their countries’ independence.

This grant will help the RCEL ensure that these brave men and women are sustained and cared for in their twilight years. As important, it will let them know that they have not been forgotten and their service and sacrifice is remembered.

Without this support, the 4,500 veterans and 2,500 widows would be unable to secure the equivalent of one-meal-a-day. UK aid will mean that those who served in the British Armed Forces across the Commonwealth pre-independence will not live their later years in poverty.

Some of the veterans eligible for support through UK aid include:

90-year-old Luc Pierre Achille, from Mauritius, who served in Egypt and Libya with the Pioneer Corps as a firefighter.

90-year-old Luc Pierre Achille, from Mauritius, who served in Egypt and Libya with the Pioneer Corps as a firefighter.
90-year-old Luc Pierre Achille. Image: RCEL

95-year-old Sepoy Penhungo Egung, pictured at his home in Nagaland, North India. Sepoy fought in Kohima and Burma during World War Two.

95-year-old Sepoy Penhungo Egung, pictured at his home in Nagaland, North India. Sepoy fought in Kohima and Burma during World War Two.
95-year-old Sepoy Penhungo Egung. Image: RCEL

99-year-old Boto Marong, pictured at his home in The Gambia, served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a medic in Burma from 1942-47.

99-year-old Boto Marong, pictured at his home in The Gambia, served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a medic in Burma from 1942-47.
99-year-old Boto Marong, pictured at his home in The Gambia. Image: RCEL

85-year-old Bakoto Jobe, pictured at her home in The Gambia. Bakoto’s husband was a corporal in the First Gambia Regiment who fought in Burma.

85-year-old Bakoto Jobe, pictured at her home in The Gambia. Bakoto’s husband was a corporal in the First Gambia Regiment who fought in Burma.
85-year-old Bakoto Jobe, pictured at her home in The Gambia. Image: RCEL

Notes to editors

  • The package, worth £11.8 million, will be awarded to the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League through UK Aid Direct. UK Aid Direct supports small- and medium-sized Civil Society Organisations and charities, based in the UK and overseas, to achieve sustained poverty reduction and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • The Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) was established in 1921 as a charity to provide support to those who served The British Crown during The Great War. Over the last century RCEL has continued to support veterans who served in the British Armed Forces and their widows from Commonwealth Nations prior to their country’s independence. All those supported are resident in their country of origin and living in poverty.
  • The welfare of Commonwealth veterans was previously provided for through grants from LIBOR grants, a means through which the UK government re-directs fines levied for financial manipulation of the LIBOR rate to worthwhile causes. LIBOR is the London Inter-bank Offered Rate or the average of interest rates estimated by each of the leading banks in London to borrow from other banks.
  • UK aid will mean the support for veterans is increased from the previous support they received through LIBOR grants and UK service charities, to ensure they receive the equivalent of two-meals-a-day or 2,400 calories (the amount healthy adults should aim to eat everyday) through cash transfers.
  • During the Second World War, an estimated 4.5 million Commonwealth soldiers from the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Caribbean fought in the British Army for the Allied Forces. Many more Commonwealth soldiers fought in further conflicts.
  • Today, around 14,000 thousand veterans are living across the Commonwealth, with 7,000 veterans and their widows in need of support to meet their basic needs.
  • The programme will run in more than 30 countries eligible for Overseas Development Assistance (ODA): Antigua, Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, Pakistan, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • The requisite years post-independence Commonwealth veterans are required to have served in the British Armed Forces to remain in the UK varies from unit to unit. The average time served to remain is approximately four years.

ENDS

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Link: Press release: UK aid to protect 7,000 Commonwealth veterans of the British Armed Forces from extreme poverty
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Elected women from around the world tackle gender equality

Minister for Women and Equalities and International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, will co-host the International Women MPs of the World conference on Thursday 8 November, which will see women parliamentarians come together to fight for women’s rights.

120 women from 86 countries around the world – including Peru, Ghana and New Zealand – will sit in the House of Commons. The conference has cross-party support and is backed by former Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Harriet Harman MP, and Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom MP.

This evening [7 November] the Prime Minister will host a reception for elected women from around the world. She will speak to them about the progress that’s been made over the years in ensuring women’s voices around the world are being heard. The Prime Minister will call on women from every part of public life to work together, learn from each other and build the networks that will allow them to succeed.

Globally, 800 girls and women die every day through pregnancy and childbirth complications. Girls and women who experience violence are 1.5 times more likely to acquire HIV, are at increased risk of maternal mortality, and are less likely to complete their education. Violence against women and girls is estimated to cost economies between 1.2% and 3.7% of GDP.

When girls receive an extra year of primary schooling they can increase their wages by 10-20% when they get a job, most of which is likely to be reinvested in her family and community. When women are meaningfully involved in conflict resolution, peace accords are 35% more likely to last for 15 years or more.

Currently there are the highest number of women in history sitting in the House of Commons, but still only 32% of UK MPs are women, and worldwide just 24% of people elected into international Parliaments are women. One hundred years ago women were not only denied seats in the Chamber, they were also denied seats in the public gallery, in case they distracted the men from the serious business of politics.

In her opening speech, Ms Mordaunt will also set out some of the obstacles female parliamentarians working to provide support, empowerment and services for women are facing, as well as the heroism in overcoming those obstacles.

Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt said:

Every woman and girl deserves the right to a safe childhood, to a quality education, to reproductive healthcare and to a life without fear.

But the shocking reality is that for many girls and women across the world this is not the case – women’s rights have dropped off the global agenda.

The women attending today’s historic sitting in our House of Commons have all overcome challenges in their own countries to become MPs and have their voices heard. Together we will commit to redoubling our fight for women’s rights and pledge that we won’t be deterred by political barriers.

Our message is simple – women’s rights are human rights.

Getting more women into politics gives a voice to women and girls around the world to enable them to fight for their rights, creates female role models and leads to legislation and work which tackles gender inequalities and discrimination.

The conference will also include discussion on the support elected women need to deal with harassment and abuse, balance family and political responsibilities, and help more women to be active in politics.

Link: Press release: Elected women from around the world tackle gender equality
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Minister for Europe opens the fifth Wardrop Strategic Dialogue in Georgia

Sir Alan Duncan will strengthen UK-Georgia relations this week as he visits Tbilisi (Thursday 8 November) for high-level talks, known as the Wardrop Strategic Dialogue.

This year, the Wardrop Strategic Dialogue takes place against the backdrop of two important milestones for Georgia, the 100th anniversary of Georgia’s independence and the 10th anniversary of the Georgia – Russia conflict.

Relations between the governments of the UK and Georgia are at an all-time high, and the dialogue will provide an opportunity to discuss continued co-operation in a wide range of issues such as trade, defence, cultural links and the mutual values which underpin the strength of our ties.

The Minister for Europe Sir Alan Duncan said:

This year’s Wardrop Strategic Dialogue will demonstrate very clearly that UK-Georgia relations are going from strength to strength, and I look forward to discussing the many areas of shared interest and co-operation with Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani. We are working hard to ensure that our relationship continues to flourish in the years ahead.

In the 10 years since the war between Georgia and Russia, the UK has continued to stand with Georgia in support of its territorial integrity, sovereignty and security. Georgia plays a pivotal role in the wider security of the region against ongoing Russian aggression. After the horrific attack in Salisbury earlier this year, Georgia took immediate and resolute action in support of the UK, which we much appreciated.

Georgia is a role-model in the region for reform, democracy and human rights. We applaud Georgia’s ambitious reform agenda. However, there is more to do to help Georgia deliver necessary reforms and reach its economic potential – that’s why the UK uses £4m of its Good Governance Fund to support reform projects in Georgia.

Further information

Media enquiries

For journalists

Link: Press release: Minister for Europe opens the fifth Wardrop Strategic Dialogue in Georgia
Source: Gov Press Releases